The present invention relates generally to data storage disks, and, more specifically, to disk drives therefor.
One type of media for the storing of binary bits of computer data is a magnetic disk typically referred to as a hard disk or hard drive. The disk includes a substrate having a suitable magnetic coating for allowing data to be written thereto and read therefrom in a conventional fashion using a suitable read/write access head. Advances in disk design are being continually made for storing ever increasing amounts of data in smaller and smaller disks. A typical standard disk has an outer diameter of about 3.5 inches (95 mm), with disks having even smaller diameters of 2.5 inches (65 mm), 1.8 inches (47 mm), and 1.3 inches (35 mm) also being known.
In order to access data storage sectors on the disk, both the access head and the disk are suitably set into motion, with the disk being typically rotated at a suitable rotational velocity. A typical disk drive motor is mounted to the center of the disk for suitably spinning the disk for allowing access to the various sectors thereof.
In a separate development, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) such as various types of variable reluctance magnetic micromotors are being fabricated using high aspect ratio lithographic techniques and electroplating processes to form the components thereof. A rotor having one set of poles is assembled to a stator having another set of poles for forming the micromotor. The stator poles include a core formed of a high permeability, low coercivity, high moment magnetic material such as a nickel-iron alloy around which is formed a conducting coil such as copper. Other suitable materials include NiFeCo, CoFeCu, and 55/45 Fe/Ni. The stator and a stationary support pin for the rotor may be formed using a dielectric such as polyimide in a multilevel fabrication process using suitable lithographic masks to define the required components and conventional electroplating for forming the magnetic core, the conducting coils, and the rotor support pin. The rotor and its poles are separately fabricated using lithographic and electroplating techniques in a conventional manner. The assembled micromotor requires no permanent magnets to produce a torque moment. The stator coils are arranged in one or more sets, and phases are excited individually or in pairs to produce torque for rotor rotation. When a phase coil is excited, the nearest rotor poles adjacent to the excited stator poles are attracted to the stator poles. The rotor then rotates to align the rotor poles with the excited stator poles, at which time the excited phase is cut off, and the next phase is then excited to maintain continuous rotation of the rotor by sequentially exciting the stator poles.
Conventional storage technology such as magnetic or optical disk drives include a storage medium which is rotated by an external motor which is attached to the storage medium through a mechanical hub. As the size form factors of disk drives continue to decrease, this conventional design will not be economically or physically desirable. In order to reduce the size, it is desirable to integrate therewith a micromotor for rotating the storage media and further to provide the integration of wiring connections to the drive circuitry.
An integrated data storage disk and disk drive assembly includes a rotatably supported magnetic disk for storing data. A rotor is fixedly joined to the disk for rotating the disk, and includes a plurality of rotor poles. A stator includes a plurality of stator poles positioned around the rotor for sequentially cooperating with respective ones of the rotor poles for rotating the rotor to rotate the disk. The disk and drive may be fabricated using lithographic and electroplating techniques, and a plurality of coaxial disks may be driven by a single disk drive in exemplary embodiments.